Portraits

This guide is created by Melissa Man Pui Shan and maintained by Phoebe Lim Choon Lan.

‘Selfies’ may be ubiquitous today, but the portrait has been around for much longer. Roman Egyptians painted funerary portraits and Ancient Greeks created stunning portrait sculpture. A portrait is a representation of person- their physical likeness as well as their personality and context. Portraits are as much moments in time as they are as cultural artefacts.

These books represent a sampling of portraiture. Browse both historical and contemporary portraits. Discover portrait paintings, sculptures, and photography!